‘”The league hasn’t gotten easier, but I think it has gotten younger. With that, I think these younger defensemen are coming in, and speed is probably a bigger part of the game than it was 5-10 years ago because there’s a little bit more space to use your speed. I think that while it’s a difficult adjustment for all young players, I do think the young players and their speed are starting to have a quicker impact a little earlier in their careers. That’s a good thing.”‘

‘O’Reilly is an important piece to the Sabres roster but in a few years he may end up being the No. 3 center on the roster. While that would be a great problem to have, not many teams would be thrilled paying their third center more than $7 million per season, especially with such big holes at other parts of the roster.’